CA Kemisha Soni was born in a modest family.Her father has been her source of inspiration and she was a badminton player, which from the initial stage of her life, developed leadership quality in her.She has represented Indore, MP and Devi Ahilya Vishwa vidyalaya (DAVV) as a Captain and team member in various State and National Level Badminton tournaments. Her strength of fighting against all odds comes from being a sportsperson. She has been a national badminton player and was the captain of her team.
Based on the vast experience and having remarkable leadership skills, she has many firsts to her credit such as the distinction of being the first Woman Chairperson of Indore branch of CIRC in 2008-09 subsequently the first woman Chairperson of CIRC in the year 2010-11 and the first woman Chairperson of the Board of Studies of ICAI in 2019-20. During her tenure as Chairperson Indore branch bagged the award for the Best Branch Award and CIRC received the award for Highly Commendable Region.
She has some suggestions to all women professionals:
1)There is no shortcut to Hard Work – She learnt this at a very early age.She belongs to a family of doctors and engineers and hence expectations to achieve academic excellence ran high. Her father insisted her on getting a first division if she wanted to become a player. That’s how she learnt to stretch her limits and go that extra mile. It also proved to be a great lesson in planning and time management, which has filtered into my working today. “I became a CA because of my father”, avers Kemisha. Shecan still be spotted playing her favourite game at the stadium, in Indore. The frequency has lessened though because of time constraints. But that hasn’t stopped her from being an undefeated winner for the past four years!
She wants to spread the message of positivity and diligence for future CAs. “If you put in your 100% there is no chance of failure. Never deviate from your goals: never give up”.
2) Maintaining Work Life balance – Her husband Advocate Deepak Soni is the driving force behind her success story of being a member of as many as eighteen committees related to her profession. A strong support system is the breeding ground for success. She became a Chartered accountant in 1998. She tied the knot with Deepak in 1996 and devoted the early years of my married life to the family.
She believes in maintaining independence and has complete faith in the joint family, “When you’re settled a home, you’re settled for life. I believe in maintaining balance between home and the professional front. It gives me the clarity to think better and thus perform efficiently” The couple has a son – Rishir, who is in his now in CA Final. Since her frequent travels keep her away from home, Deepak has always stepped in to take Rishir’s responsibility during his schooling days. “One of us has always been there for him”, says she.
3)Time Management – Time files, Kemisha knows she’s the pilot. To quote her, “I have learnt how to convert 24 hours into 48. My office operates on a strong MIS system. It aids my staff in managing projects independently. And since I travel a lot I have learnt to delegate”.Despite being as busy as a bee, Kemisha has fixed Saturdays for counselling sessions with CA students. She believes in putting their queries to rest so that they can be better professionals. After the hustle and bustle of the day, 10.30 pm – 1.30 am is the slot in which she prepares reports and finishes her work. Her cool, calm and optimistic self has a lot to do with the way she handles so many responsibilities. Her accessibility has people calling her up as late as two at night and, she’s there to answer.
4) Continuous learning – Reading and travelling have widened Kemisha’s horizon. She unwinds with numbers from old Hindi movies. The love for music runs in the Family- her husband plays the ‘tabla’ and sing, and son plays the guitar. The trio can be seen jamming together and enjoying their favourite music when time permits.
An avid reader of biographies, Kemisha draws inspiration from the life and works of great personalities. She’s keen to know what makes each one of them unique. “I’ve learnt nation building and moral strength from Abdul Kalaam: Ratan Tata’s Corporate Governance Policy, Dhirubhai Ambani’s business acumen, etc. Sudha Murthy has inspired me the most, owing to her efforts towards a better work place for women” affirms Kemisha.
5) Using Technology – Technology is best when it brings people together. Kemisha love for technology and gadgets runs on similar lines. She wishes to spread e- connectivity amongst ICAI, CA students and the trading community, so that systems, policies and procedures, can be better implemented. Her vision is that of a ‘paperless office’.
She completed her Chartered Accountancy qualification in 1997 from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). She has been on the Central Council of ICAI for the second consecutive term. She is currently the -Chairperson of the Continuing Professional Education Committee and Women Members Empowerment Committee (2nd yr. in succession), the Vice chair person for Ethical Standards Board and Convenor for Digital Re-Engineering & Learning Directorate and member of multiple Committees of ICAI. Besides these, she was also the the Chairperson of the Women Leadership Committee of the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Countries for 2019 and 2020, i.e. two consecutive years.